Specialized OCD Therapy

Virtual OCD Therapy for Adults in Florida & Texas · Based in Largo, FL · Serving the Tampa Bay & San Antonio metro areas

for when your brain just won’t let it go

You might know, logically, that the thought doesn't make sense. You might even recognize that you're asking for reassurance, checking, researching, reviewing conversations, avoiding situations, or mentally replaying things over and over. And yet, knowing it's OCD hasn’t necessarily made it stop.

OCD therapy isn't about getting rid of every uncomfortable thought. It's about learning that you don't have to obey every thought your brain sends your way.

A beach scene with a wooden table set with a cup of coffee overlooking the ocean - Trauma and EMDR Therapy, OCD Therapy, Therapy for Young Adults, and Therapy for Missionaries in Texas, Florida, and Beyond
A beach scene with a wooden table set with a cup of coffee overlooking the ocean - Trauma and EMDR Therapy, OCD Therapy, Therapy for Young Adults, and Therapy for Missionaries in Texas, Florida, and Beyond

this work may be especially helpful if you’re:

Spending way more time than you’d like to admit analyzing thoughts, feelings, memories, conversations, or possibilities that other people seem able to let go of.

You may repeatedly ask yourself:

  • What if I'm actually a bad person?

  • What if I secretly wanted that thought?

  • What if I hurt someone and don't remember?

  • What if I made the wrong decision?

  • What if I don't love my partner enough?

  • What if I'm not actually attracted to them?

  • What if I don't really love God?

  • What if I committed a sin without realizing it?

  • What if I prayed incorrectly?

  • What if this physical sensation means something is seriously wrong?

And the more you try to answer the question, the less certain you feel.

View of sunset over ocean with dark storm clouds and gentle waves, taken by Addison Allen, a Therapist for Trauma, OCD, and Faith-Based Missionaries - serving Largo, FL, Tampa, FL, Saint Petersburg, FL, and San Antonio, TX
View of sunset over ocean with dark storm clouds and gentle waves, taken by Addison Allen, a Therapist for Trauma, OCD, and Faith-Based Missionaries - serving Largo, FL, Tampa, FL, Saint Petersburg, FL, and San Antonio, TX

common OCD presentations I work with:

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • Did I commit a sin without realizing it?

    • Was that thought blasphemous?

    • What if I'm not really saved?

    • What if I misunderstood God's will?

    • What if I made the wrong decision and God is disappointed in me?

    • Did I pray correctly?

    • Do I need to confess this again?

    You may find yourself repeatedly praying, confessing, seeking reassurance from pastors or friends, researching theological questions, or trying to achieve a particular feeling of certainty before allowing yourself to move forward.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • Do I love them enough?

    • Do I feel attracted enough?

    • What if someone better comes along?

    • What if I'm settling?

      What if they aren't right for me?

    • What if I don't actually love them?

    • What if they leave me?

    • What if I hurt them?

    You may compare your relationship to other couples, monitor your feelings, test your attraction, seek reassurance, or repeatedly imagine what it would feel like to break up.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • What if this headache means I have a brain tumor?

    • What if this bodily sensation is a sign of a serious illness?

    • What if the doctor missed something?

    • What if my test results were wrong or something has developed since I was tested?

    • What if I have a disease but don't know it yet?

    • What if this symptom suddenly gets worse when I'm alone?

    You may repeatedly check your body for lumps, sensations, or changes, repeatedly schedule medical appointments or request additional testing, or seek reassurance from doctors, family members, friends, or therapists.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • What if I suddenly lose control and hurt someone?

    • What if I accidentally cause someone to die?

    • What if I'm secretly capable of hurting someone?

    • What if having this thought means I actually want to do it?

    • What if I already hurt someone and don't remember?

    • What if I make one careless mistake that causes something terrible to happen?

    You may avoid knives, weapons, heights, driving, children, or other feared situations, test yourself by imagining a violent scenario to see how you react, or mentally review past behavior for evidence of being harmful.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • What if I touched something contaminated and spread it to someone I love?

    • What if something in my home is contaminated and I don't know it?

    • What if I accidentally consumed something contaminated?

    • What if I left the stove on?

    • What if I forgot to lock the door and someone gets hurt?

    • What if I didn't check something carefully enough and something terrible happens?

    You may repeatedly check locks, appliances, faucets, doors, windows, or other household items, avoid leaving the house for fear of something not being adequately checked, or repeatedly clean objects, surfaces, clothing, or living spaces.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • What if I'm actually attracted to a gender I don't want to be attracted to?

    • What if I've been wrong about my sexual orientation my entire life?

    • What if this thought or image means I'm attracted to them?

    • What if I don't feel attracted enough to my usual gender?

    • What if I experience a physical sensation that proves I'm attracted to someone?

    • What if I eventually realize I'm a different sexual orientation?

    You may check your physical or emotional reactions around people of a particular gender, repeatedly ask yourself, “Am I attracted to them?”, or avoid people, situations, media, or environments that trigger uncertainty.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • What if I'm attracted to children and don't know it?

    • What if that thought or image means I secretly want to harm a child?

    • What if I experienced a physical sensation around a child - does that prove I'm attracted to them?

    • What if I accidentally look at a child's body because I'm secretly interested in them?

    • What if I'm actually a pedophile and have been deceiving myself about who I am?

    • What if I someday lose control and act on an intrusive thought?

    You may avoid children, babysitting, childcare settings, or being alone with children, monitor your physical sensations around children, or mentally review interactions with children for evidence of inappropriate thoughts or intentions.

  • You might constantly analyze:

    • What if I make the wrong decision and seriously regret it?

    • What if I make a mistake that negatively affects someone else?

    • What if I overlooked something important?

    • What if I misunderstood the instructions and did something wrong?

    • What if I can't be completely certain that I've made the right choice?

    You may avoid decisions because of fear of making the wrong choice, excessively check your work, messages, assignments, or decisions, or spend excessive time mentally rehearsing conversations or possible outcomes.

  • You may not necessarily have obvious compulsions, but instead your compulsions may happen almost entirely inside your head.

    You might:

    • replay conversations

    • mentally review memories

    • compare your feelings

    • analyze whether something “felt right”

    • test yourself to see how you react

    • mentally argue with an intrusive thought

    • repeatedly reassure yourself

    • mentally confess

    • pray repeatedly for certainty

    • scan your body for sensations

    • review whether you have been a “good enough” person

    • repeatedly ask yourself whether you are sure

    The compulsion doesn't have to be visible to be exhausting.

**OCD doesn't usually fit neatly into one category. You may recognize yourself in several of these experiences, or none of them exactly.

What matters is the underlying cycle of: unwanted intrusive thought → distress → compulsive attempts to find relief

what OCD therapy with me looks like:

1- Evidence-based OCD treatment for the present

First, we’ll identify the obsession-compulsion cycle and begin practicing something radically different: allowing uncertainty, discomfort, and intrusive thoughts to exist without automatically responding to them.

We’ll use Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) to help you gradually approach what OCD tells you to avoid without having to rely on your usual compulsions and rituals. We’ll also integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you stop treating every thought, feeling, or sensation as something that needs to be solved or controlled.

The goal is not: “How do I make this thought go away?”

Instead, the goal is: “How do I stop letting this thought run my life?”

2- Trauma-informed therapy for the bigger picture

For some people, OCD exists alongside unresolved trauma, attachment injuries, chronic shame, or experiences that have left the nervous system feeling persistently threatened.

Once we’ve established enough stability and OCD-specific tools, we can explore whether there is unresolved material worth processing.

When appropriate, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) may be incorporated to address trauma/PTSD and distressing experiences that may be co-occurring with OCD. EMDR has strong evidence for PTSD, while research specifically supporting EMDR as an OCD treatment remains limited.

*OCD needs OCD-specific treatment*

That means learning how compulsions work, identifying distress and avoidance patterns, practicing exposure and response prevention, and developing the ability to tolerate uncertainty.

We don't need to dig into your entire past before you have tools for your present, and we don't have to spend years processing where everything came from while OCD continues running your life.

The first priority is to build your capacity to respond differently. Then, when clinically appropriate, we can explore what else deserves attention.

Trauma does not necessarily cause OCD, and OCD does not necessarily mean you've experienced trauma. But when OCD and unresolved trauma coexist, treating only one piece of the picture may leave important clinical needs unaddressed.

OCD therapy faq’s

  • ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) is considered the gold standard treatment for OCD, It helps you gradually face uncertainty and discomfort without relying on compulsions for relief. I pair ERP with ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to help you not only change the OCD cycle, but also build the flexibility to notice intrusive thoughts without letting them dictate your choices, relationships, or life.

  • EMDR is not considered a first-line treatment for OCD, and research specifically examining EMDR for OCD remains limited. ERP remains the primary evidence-based therapy for OCD. However, when OCD co-occurs with trauma or PTSD, EMDR may be incorporated to address the trauma component of treatment when clinically appropriate.

  • Yes. It's very common for OCD symptoms to intensify during periods of stress, major life transitions, relationship changes, or other disruptions, even if you've previously completed OCD treatment and felt significantly better. A flare-up doesn't mean you've failed or “lost your progress”; it may simply mean your nervous system is under increased demand and it's time to reconnect with the tools you've built.

  • Absolutely. I currently offer OCD therapy entirely online, providing virtual ERP, ACT, and trauma-informed therapy for clients in Florida and Texas. Online OCD treatment can be an effective and convenient way to receive specialized care while practicing new skills in the environments where your OCD actually shows up.

  • Being nervous about ERP is completely understandable, and we won’t jump straight into ERP on day one. Trust is the foundation of effective ERP, so we'll first focus on building a therapeutic relationship where you feel safe, understood, and in control of your treatment, while developing familiarity with your nervous system and practical regulation tools before gradually moving into deeper ERP work.

  • Yes. I bill OCD therapy the same way I bill my other therapy services. So if I am in-network with your insurance plan, your 53-minute OCD therapy session will be processed through insurance and you will be responsible for your applicable copay. Coverage varies by plan, so we'll verify your specific benefits before getting started.

let’s get you out of the OCD loop

If OCD has started taking up more space in your relationships, work, faith, sexuality, decision-making, or everyday life, therapy can help you begin responding differently. I offer a Free 15-Minute Consultation Call for new clients to talk about what you’re looking for in therapy, address any questions you have, and explore next steps. Book your free call using the link below 🤍

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